


drinks & rings

by slafocka



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Fake Proposal, Fluff, Friendship, Pining!Jug, Valentine's Day, theme one: sweet romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 19:38:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17814260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slafocka/pseuds/slafocka
Summary: Legend has it, that if you propose in a bar on Valentine's day, random people will buy you drinks. So why not test it out?





	drinks & rings

 

“So, where are you taking Veronica tomorrow?”

 

Archie took a swing of his beer before pausing the game of Mortal Kombat they were mindlessly playing for the last 4 hours and rubbed back of his neck with a confused look on his face.

 

“Why did nobody tell me that I needed to book a table at least three months in advance? I tried all of Ronnie-approved places last week and every single one of them had been fully booked,” he sighed. “She’s going to kill me when she finds out.”

 

Jughead let out a small chuckle - he was right. Archie’s tendency to leave everything until the last possible moment would one day drive Veronica crazy enough to actually end his life. Or at least their relationship.

 

“So, you have no plans?”

 

“Well, that’s not true - I’ll call her tomorrow morning, apologising for getting food poisoning and we’ll just reschedule,” Archie explained his amazing plan.

 

One look at his friend’s face was enough for Jughead to see that he was in fact serious, he really thought that he could get out of Valentine’s day date with Veronica Lodge that easily. It almost made him want to burst out laughing - he may not have known the brunette very well, but he heard Betty describe her as one of those people who _look like a cinnamon roll who will not only kill you, but also get rid of all the evidence and then, if necessary, pin it on somebody else._

 

“You really think that’s a wise decision?” Jughead asked and took a swing of his own beer, eyes closely following Archie’s face.

 

“Yeah, it’s foolproof,” he laughed and as if he was trying to emphasise his words, he unpaused the game on their TV screen.

 

“You are crazy, man,” Jughead chuckled, turning his focus away from Archie’s confused face and towards the game. He was much more interested in kicking his best friend’s ass in a game than listening to him wail about his silly problems.

 

But Archie had a different idea, as he immediately pressed pause once again.

 

“What do you mean? You think it won’t work?” he asked, every word coated in fear.

 

“Well, I am just saying that it’s Veronica we are talking about. Do you think she would forgive you for getting _food poisoning_ on Valentine’s day?” Jughead asked.

 

“It’s not like I can control it!”

 

“Yeah, but does it matter?” Jughead shrugged, unpausing the game back.

 

Before he could slap Archie with the final blow, solidifying his title as the _ultimate Mortal Kombat master_ , he was disrupted by a pause screen appearing on their TV once again.

 

“Jug, she’s going to kill me! You have to help me!” Fear had long left his voice, now replaced with nothing but utter panic and horror.

 

“Okay, calm down. What about something down-to-earth? You can take a walk, maybe go and see a movie and then get dinner at some nice place? Like I don’t know, you could take her to that pizzeria that’s two blocks down, the one where they make those little pies? They won’t be booked out for sure.”

 

“You mean the one where they had that rat problem two months ago? I would rather take my chances with the food poisoning plan,” Archie shook his head. He was right - that place was barely good enough to pass in Jughead’s eyes and he was open to anything, as long as it offered decent food.

 

“Okay, so eating out probably won’t work. How about dinner at home? You can cook something, put candles and rose petals everywhere, maybe play your guitar,” Jughead offered. Archie’s face immediately brightened up, a sparkle of hope shining in his eyes.

 

“Yeah, that could work,” he nodded enthusiastically, but then suddenly stopped. “But what will I cook? I doubt she’ll be a fan of my spaghetti and meatballs.”

 

“Nobody is a fan of your spaghetti with meatballs,” Jughead said honestly. He never thought one could be so untalented in kitchen; that was until he moved in with Archie. He even burned water. There was no way he could turn into a professional chef overnight, but did he have any other option?

 

“I have an idea!” Archie suddenly blurted out, hope returning to his eyes once again. “I’ll ask Betty to do it!”

 

Jughead wanted to object immediately, sure that Betty would have plans tomorrow or that he shouldn’t ask her for such a huge favour on such a short notice. But before he could get any words out, Archie was already holding his phone against his ear, waiting for their blonde best friend to pick up and magically save his relationship.

  
  
  
  


The rich smell of chocolate melted with butter was the first thing that hit his senses when he woke up. It was quickly followed with warm rays of sun, tingling him on his face and faint sound of music coming from behind his door.

 

He slowly got up from the bed and followed his nose - exiting his room and heading towards kitchen, only to find Betty behind the counter, dancing her way through the kitchen to the rhythm of some song he never heard before.

 

She looked heavenly - her blonde hair was shining in their sunlit kitchen, each of her moves was smooth and purposeful, even her basic white shirt and jeans looked like they were designed exactly for her, hugging her figure perfectly.

 

“ _Can I sleep in your brain tonight stranger, can I spend just one night on your mind,_ ” she sung softly and Jughead couldn’t stop himself from smiling. She looked so confident, so in her element, so happy.

 

He didn’t even want to disturb her by trying to taste whatever it was that she was making, if it meant he got to see her this cheerful. But he didn’t get to do that much longer, as she noticed him standing and staring only moments after he entered the kitchen. Their eyes met and light blush spread across her cheeks - Jughead assumed it was because he caught her singing, but he didn’t really care as it was of the most beautiful colour he had ever seen.

 

“Hey,” she smiled at him.

 

“Hey you,” he answered back, his gaze dropping from her eyes towards the messy kitchen counter.

 

“Sorry for the mess, I’ll clean everything after I finish helping Archie with his dinner for Veronica,” she explained nervously, pushing an awkward chuckle down her throat.

 

“You are helping Archie? I don’t know if that’s a good idea, considering his cooking skills,” Jughead laughed, which seemed to relax Betty a bit, as this time she let the chuckle out instead of holding it in.

 

“Okay, Archie is helping me,” she shrugged.

 

“And where is your little helper?” Jughead asked her, as their redheaded friend was nowhere to be seen.

 

“I have sent him to buy flowers,” she admitted shyly, which only prompted Jughead to laugh again. “Don’t judge me! I can’t let him anywhere near this, he would somehow end up ruining it.”

 

“No judgement here,” he said. He sneaked one more quick look at her before heading towards fridge to find something for breakfast.

 

“If you’re hungry, I made banana pancakes, you can have some of them,” Betty offered and he immediately closed the fridge.

 

“Betty Cooper, you’re the woman of my dreams,” he said eagerly as he sat down on barstool, waiting for whatever perfection she had made. He loved her banana pancakes - they were always smooth and fluffy and perfectly circular and he didn’t even mind that they had fruit inside.

 

But what appeared in front of him was everything but smooth and perfectly circular. It almost looked like a pile of deformed hearts; big, small, torn, uneven; but hearts nevertheless. As he suspiciously scanned them, his mind already started coming up with the craziest theories of why he received these heart mutants instead of circles.

 

 _Somebody must have body-snatched Betty, there was no way she would mess up circles like this_ , was the first idea that popped into his mind. But that wasn’t possible, there wasn’t such a thing as body-snatching. _Maybe she is drunk and messed up?_ No, that can’t be it either - he saw her cooking while she was drunk and even then, her mac’n’cheese was to die for.  _Maybe she is trying to tell you she likes you._ A breath got stuck in his throat as that idea popped into his head. No, there was no way somebody as divine as Betty Cooper would like him. She was too perfect, too amazing, too good.

 

He opened his mouth to ask her about the shapes, but she beat him to it. “I am making pancakes for dessert and I was learning how to make heart-shaped ones and I messed up. A lot. It would be shame to throw them all out just because they are a bit different, right?” she explained and he just nodded enthusiastically.

 

Of course there was a sensible reason for why she offered him a bunch of cheesy-looking pancakes on Valentine day’s morning. What was he thinking, looking for any sort of deeper meaning behind her act - of course they weren’t made especially for him, how silly that would be.

 

He thanked her for not contributing towards food waste and she showed him the non-reject pile - each pancake was the same size, perfectly stacked on the previous one, creating a heart shaped tower. _Pretty_ , he thought, _but not as high as my pile_.

  
  
  
  


As he was finishing the last pancake, Archie came back. He sat down onto a bar stool next to him, roughly dropping the bouquet on the counter.

 

“Ronnie is going to be so disappointed,” Archie let out sadly, hiding his face in his palms. “She’s going to break up with me.”

 

Jughead quickly looked up to Betty, who seemed as confused as he was with Archie’s behaviour. He was so excited about his plan yesterday, he thought it was perfect, so why the sudden change of heart?

 

“Hey, what happened?” Jughead asked him, gently placing his hand on his friend’s back.

 

“I just got off the phone with her - she couldn’t stop talking about how Toni took Cheryl for a brunch to that new French place down in Manhattan and proposed! They got their brunch for free and two other couples bought them desserts and mimosas! During that phone call, Ronnie dropped at least five hints about how romantic that was and how that’s something she had always dreamed of. Guys, who are we kidding? I should have gone with the food poisoning plan, there’s no way she’ll be happy with this,” Archie explained, sounding heartbroken.

 

Jughead exchanged another glance with Betty, one that could be loosely translated into _what now?_ He had no idea how to help his best friend. But luckily, he wasn’t the only person in that room.

 

“Archie, stop worrying. You’ve been happy together and in love for five years already. She isn’t going to dump you because you didn’t book the fanciest restaurant in the city. Will she be disappointed? Maybe, we all know how Veronica can get. But will she be happy that she gets to spend the night with the person she loves? Hundred percent yes. It’s not fancy restaurants or overpriced salads that make her feel happy - it’s you. So remember that. And man up and go clean your room  - she’ll forgive you for not taking her for a fancy dinner, but she won’t forgive you if she sees _or smells_ the socks on your floor.”

 

Archie just nodded and left the kitchen without uttering a single word. He looked like a scolded puppy.

 

“He’ll be fine,” Betty smiled when they heard Archie shutting door to his room, “he just needed to be reminded that although money is very important to Ronnie, he’ll always be more important.” She returned to peeling vegetables without saying anything more.

 

Jughead was once again mesmerised by her - he knew she was the person to turn to when looking for advice, but every time she spoke like this, he felt blown away by the power of her words. He suspected it to be the main reason why he joined her in the Blue and Gold all those years ago in high school, because once he read her writing, her wise words, he knew he would never get enough of it.

 

“Are you doing anything tonight?” he asked her casually. _This isn’t asking her out, this is just wondering what your friend’s plans for Valentine’s day are. Totally casual._

 

“I was supposed to go out with few friends from work, you know, _Galentine’s day_ , but _somehow,_ during the course of last week, all of them found dates. So I’ll either go alone or I’ll stay home with a bottle of wine and some cheesy movies,” she shrugged, not even lifting her eyes from the potato she was currently peeling. “What about you?”

 

“I’ll probably just end up going to the library and try to study the whole night - I really need to catch up on some of the lectures and I would rather be anywhere but here during their date,” Jughead chuckled shortly.

 

“That’s pretty boring,” Betty said, “but I guess I can’t judge you, as I’ll be wine-drunk by 9pm and watching Titanic on repeat.”

 

“Titanic, Betts? Seriously?” he shook his head in pretend disappointment.

 

“Stop it! You know I _love_ young Leo,” she tried defending herself, but it only made Jughead laugh.

 

“You know, if you really want to do that _Galentine’s day_ thing, I can go with you. I could probably even afford to buy you a drink or two,” Jughead offered before he could think twice about what he was saying.

 

 _Did he just ask her on a date?_ No, he specifically said Galentine, as in _gal_ -entine. They are friends, he asked her as a friend would ask another friend. There is nothing strange about it, not even remotely.

 

“I would like that,” she smiled softly, her blue sparkling with happiness.

 

“Great. But I have to warn you - I really can’t afford more than three drinks, especially if they’ll be extra expensive because of Valentine’s day. My salary barely covers my half of the rent and food,” he explained, hoping that she wouldn’t change her mind. He would much rather spend the night out with Betty than studying in library like the biggest loner.

 

“Don’t worry about that - I have a plan,” she winked at him and promptly returned back to peeling potatoes.

  
  
  
  


The first thought that entered his mind when he saw her getting out of her taxi, was that she looked like a goddess. She was wearing a baby pink dress and her matching pink coat. She wore high heels that accentuated her long legs. Her hair was let down on her shoulders in soft waves and her face looked so soft and refreshed that Jughead wanted to caress her cheeks the entire night.

 

He still didn’t know what her plan was - she just told him to dress nice and promised to take care of everything, so he just happily obliged.

 

“You look really good,” he said, hoping that he hadn’t been staring at her too long.

 

“You look great yourself,” she replied right back, giving him a warm hug.

 

 _Okay, not only did she look like a goddess, she smelled like one as well._ Jughead took a deep breath of her perfume, hoping to engrave the scent of vanilla and lavender into his mind forever.

 

She slowly stepped away from their hug, soft smile spread across her lips.

 

“So, what’s the plan Betts?” Jughead asked her. He felt anticipation flowing through his veins, not quite sure whether it was for the plan or the thought of getting drinks with her.

 

Instead of replying, she reached into her purse a pulled something out. With only a dim light from the lamp few meters behind them, it took him a second to figure out what she was holding in the palm of her hand - a small silvery band with a turquoise stone. A ring.

 

Jughead moved his gaze from the ring to her face, expecting an explanation of her amazing plan.

 

“Do you remember what Archie said today?” she asked him, excitement seeping through her voice.

 

“The part about how you are a life-saver of about how Veronica will definitely dump him?” Jughead asked her, although he was pretty sure it was neither of those options.

 

“No! The part about how Cheryl and Toni got engaged today?” she prompted him.

 

“Oh, that, yeah, I remember. So you are suggesting we get engaged as well?” Jughead asked, trying to hide the tremble of his voice. _Why is his crush holding a ring in front of him and talking about engagement?_

 

“Yes, that’s exactly what I am suggesting,” she nodded enthusiastically and suddenly Jughead forgot how to breathe. The air got stuck in his throat and his breathing became too shallow too quickly. But that was only until Betty touched his shoulder, with a concerned look on her face that he somehow managed to gain back the control and take a deep breath once again.

 

“You okay?” she asked him softly, palm of her hand still placed gently on his shoulder.

 

“Yeah, I am.” His voice was still strangled, but at least he could speak, so that was a plus.

 

“Alright,” she said little reluctantly, as if she didn’t quite believe him, “so anyways, you’ll have to propose to me.”

 

It took a lot of effort for Jughead not to forget how to breathe again - she wanted him to do what? And then it finally clicked - Cheryl and Toni got the brunch for free and people bought them mimosas and cakes as congratulations gifts. If he proposed to her in a bar, especially on a day like Valentine’s day, they were bound to get some free drinks.

 

“Betty Cooper, you are a genius,” he smiled and reached to take the ring from her open palm. He quickly slipped it into his breast pocket and then looked back at her hand, which she hadn’t moved since he took the ring out of it.

 

“You probably should hold my hand, don’t you think? Considering you are about to propose in few hours,” she asked him chuckling. With a smile on his lips he slid his hand inside hers and they slowly headed towards the first bar.

  
  
  
  


To say that Betty’s plan was a success was an understatement - after arriving to the bar, they each ordered a drink - a glass of wine for Betty and a pint of beer for Jughead. When they got halfway through, Jughead carefully got down on one knee and held the ring in front of her. A lot of cheesy phrases left his mouth and by the look on Betty’s face he was sure he would never hear the end of it, but when he finished, she widely smiled and said _yes_ a bit louder than necessary, ensuring that everybody in the bar knew that they just got engaged. He slipped the ring on her finger and pulled her into a tight hug, hearing her laugh against his chest.

 

It was just a minute after they sat back down when a first couple came and congratulated them, offering to buy them a round of drinks.

 

“You don’t have to,” Betty offered shyly, but the woman insisted. Four glasses of prosecco were placed in front of them and the couple toasted to Betty and Jughead’s long life together filled with lots of happiness and babies.

 

“They were quite drunk,” Jughead giggled into Betty’s ear after the couple left.

 

“They really were,” Betty giggled back, sipping from her glass of the wine, “but they looked really happy together.” There was a certain degree of sadness in Betty’s voice and Jughead really wanted to ask her about it, but they were interrupted by yet another couple, wishing them a happy engagement. They asked to see the ring and Betty proudly showcased her hand.

 

“No diamond?” the man asked, not even trying to hide his surprise.

 

“Diamonds are boring. And Betty is everything but boring, so it just didn’t seem right,” Jughead shrugged before Betty could answer.

 

“And why blue?” he asked, wondering about the unnaturalness of the engagement ring.

 

Jughead felt Betty’s eyes on himself, waiting to hear his answer - after all, he was the one that allegedly bought the ring.

 

“It’s turquoise actually. On our first date, she wore this beautiful dress and it was exactly this colour. I actually took it with me when I went looking for the ring to find the perfect match,” he moved his eyes from the couple standing by them and met Betty’s, “and I think it really brings out the colour of her eyes, don’t you?”

 

He could practically see the happiness on Betty’s face. She found his hand without breaking their eye contact and squeezed it lightly, as if saying a silent _you are so nice._

 

“Aren’t they so cute, darling?” the woman asked her partner. “Enjoy the rest of the night lovebirds!” And with that, they were gone.

 

“Polly got me that ring, by the way. Apparently, turquoise stone is supposed to strengthen you and add courage. She really believes all of that stuff about healing powers of stones or whatever it is they talk about at that farm,” Betty shrugged, “I almost never wear it.”

 

“You should, it really makes your eyes shine,” Jughead whispered and then quickly took a gulp of his beer, to hide the blush that spread across his cheeks. It was one thing to say that to random people in order to get free drinks, but it was completely different when he said it directly to her, no games, no pretence, no anything. Just the two of them.

 

She didn’t respond, probably because she didn’t hear him thanks to the constant chatter all around them. He didn’t regret saying it, because it was true - he just wished she didn’t hear him, that’s all.

 

“Want to go to another bar?” she asked him after finishing the rest of her wine.

 

“Yeah, sure. Let me just pay for these ones,” he offered, knowing fully that he wouldn’t be able to pay for any more drinks. But as he asked bartender for the check, he was given nothing but a smile and a congratulation on the engagement to such a pretty girl.

 

When he told Betty about it, she just squealed with excitement and took his hand into hers as she led the out of the first bar and straight to the other.

  
  
  
  


Jughead wasn’t a big drinker - he was used to having a couple of beers with Archie while they ate dinner or played video games few times a month, but that was it. He felt completely sober while they walked through cold streets of New York, deciding where to go next. He felt sober when they sat down in a warm and cozy bar with live jazz music. He felt sober as he ordered two glasses of rosé.

 

It was only after he had few sips of the wine and he dropped down on one knee that he started slowly feeling the alcohol entering his system.

 

“Betts, you are the most important person in my entire life,” he started slowly, looking directly into her eyes. “I’ve known you for longer than I can remember and you’ve always been there for me. You get my stupid jokes, you are always willing to give me your opinion on anything I ask, you are literally the best at giving advice. I am so glad that you are a part of my life and I would be eternally grateful if you’d stay in my life forever - as my wife.”

 

A wide smile spread on Betty’s face as she enthusiastically started nodded and a loud _yes_ escaped her mouth again. He wrapped his hands around her, eloping her in a huge hug. Feeling a bit brave, he pressed a small kiss on the top of her hair.

 

They didn’t even managed to sit back down before a barman placed unopened bottle of rosé in front of them, explaining it was a gift from a couple in the back. He added his own best wishes and said not to worry about the drinks they ordered before - they were on the house.

 

“Sir, that’s too generous,” Jughead opposed.

 

“Nonsense! I love watching young people in love and you two are radiating with it!” he said with a wide grin.

 

“Thank you,” Betty said, “which couple bought us the wine? We would love to thank them.” The bartender pointed towards one of the back booths and before Jughead had a chance to do anything, they were on the way there.

 

In the booth sat two dark-haired guys and to his surprise, Jughead recognised one of them immediately.

 

“Joaquin?” he asked cautiously, although once their eyes met, he was sure it was him. Nobody else had so blue eyes as him.

 

“Jughead! What are the chances!” Joaquin laughed. He promptly got out of the booth, giving Jughead a bro-hug.

 

“Betty, this is Joaquin, he used to be part of my dad’s gang. Joaquin, this is Betty,” Jughead looked at the blonde at his arm, “my fiancée.”

 

“Nice to meet you Betty. This is Kevin, my husband,” Joaquin introduced his partner.

 

“We wanted to thank you for the wine,” Betty said, “it was really nice of you.”

 

“It was nothing,” Kevin said, “when we got engaged, these two lovely ladies bought us a 40-year-old whiskey. We wanted to repay that kindness, but you know, we are on budget.”

 

“That’s really beautiful,” Betty gushed and squeezed Jughead’s hand. “Anyways, we just wanted to thank you. Enjoy the rest of your night!”

They turned to head back towards their seats, when Joaquin’s voice stopped them. “Stay for a while - we would love to hear a bit about you. We insist.”

 

Betty and Jughead exchanged a quick glance, both of them probably complementing the possibility that a long chat could potentially blow their story. But the night was young and they would just move to other bar if that happened, right?

 

“I’ll go and get the wine, alright?” Betty said and left him alone with the two guys. He slowly slid down to the booth across them, waiting in an awkward silence for Betty to return.

 

Once he saw her pink dress by the booth, he released the breath he didn’t know he was holding. He had no reason to be afraid - he didn’t really know Joaquin. It was going to be no different than talking to any other strangers. Except it would be much longer. And if they finish the bottle of wine, they would also be much drunker.

 

But it turned out to be fine - Betty was very good at keeping conversation away from the two of them by bombarding Joaquin and Kevin with questions about their relationship - how did they meet, when they fell in love, who proposed and when, how was their wedding. Jughead tried his best at engaging in conversation, but he still left most of the talking to Betty, knowing fully that she was the more talkative of the two of them.

 

They were on their last glasses, when Betty started running out of questions and conversations started turning towards them.

 

“When did you decide to propose?” Joaquin asked Jughead. He took a sip of his wine before answering, mainly to give himself some time to think, but partially also because his throat suddenly dried out.

 

“It’s not very interesting story,” Jughead chuckled, trying to just brush it off casually.

 

“It certainly is!” Kevin objected, “I decided to propose to Joaquin when I first heard him sing - he has angel’s voice and I just wanted to listen to him forever.” They shared a deep look into each other’s eyes, one that just screamed love and happiness.

 

Jughead cleared his throat and found Betty’s eyes, only to see that they were already carefully watching him. “She made me heart-shaped pancakes,” he started, not moving away from her eyes. “And I don’t know why, but in that moment, it just clicked in my brain. I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her.” A soft smile appeared on Betty’s lips and her hand found his underneath the table.

 

He slowly broke of the eye contact to look at the two men sitting in front of them. “I warned you, it’s nothing special,” Jughead shrugged.

 

“No, it is special! Heart-shaped pancakes? So cute!” Kevin squealed. “You’ll have to teach me how to make those,” he half-whispered towards Betty, to which she just enthusiastically nodded. The conversation flew easily after that - life stories were exchanged, jokes were laughed at and Betty’s hand hadn’t left Jug’s for one second.

 

After finishing their bottle of wine and politely declining Joaquin’s insistence on buying them another one, they left their second bar with warm hugs as goodbyes and promises of meeting in a café nearby Kevin’s work the following week. It was Valentine’s day after all - the two men deserved some time alone as well.

  
  
  
  
  


The third bar was much more crowded and louder than the previous two. It was also much warmer - or maybe, that was just the alcohol warming up his blood. Or maybe it was Betty, who couldn’t keep her hands off his body - either holding his hand firmly in hers, or gently leaning against his shoulder.

 

They ordered rosé once again, already quite drunk on it, but Jughead didn’t mind. He found out long ago that wine-drunk Betty is laughing Betty. And he like how the colour matched her dress as well as the blush that covered her cheeks every time she laughed. He could stare at her forever - watching the sparkle in her eyes light up as her bubbly laugh escaped her throat. She was just breathtaking.

“Juggie.”

 

Hearing his nickname pulled him out of his trance - he quickly shook his head and met Betty’s eyes. They shined brightly even in the dimly lit bar, still looking perfectly green.

 

“Yes?” he asked her.

 

“You were staring at me,” she chuckled, as if it was the funniest thing ever to happen.

 

He quickly took a sip of wine to hide his embarrassment behind the glass, but the tingle of alcohol on his tongue only intensified the blush that spread all across his cheeks.

 

“Is there something on my face?” she asked self-consciously, her hand flying up to touch her cheeks. Jughead just chuckled and reached to pull her hand down, his fingers gently grazing over her soft skin.

 

He wanted to feel more, more of her skin underneath his fingers, more of the warmth, more of the softness. He wanted to run his fingers along the curves of her body, devouring every single inch of it.

 

“Juggie, are you okay?” Betty asked him and he quickly dropped his hand into his lap. She not only caught him staring, she caught frozen over the softness of her skin, which was way more awkward.

 

“Yeah,” he nodded, “you just look breathtaking.” He didn’t dare to look up to her face, too afraid that her happy smile would be replaced by a frown. Too afraid that he just revealed his feelings - in the most stupid way possible.

 

He had been star-struck by her for years now and it hadn’t been easy. He came up with dozens of different ways to tell her, but never acted on any of them. It never seemed good enough, perfect enough. She deserved the world and he wanted to give her that - he needed to give her that.

 

And now, in a crowded bar, with bad music playing from old speakers and heavy air, everything seemed wrong. But here they were, rosé flowing through his veins, all of the little things they said for free drinks flooding his mind. So without any more thinking, he reached into his breast pocket and sunk down onto the sticky floor.

 

“We’ve been best friends even before I can remember. We always shared everything, there were no secrets between us. Except this one,” Jughead took a deep breathe, preparing himself mentally for what he was about to say. “I am in love with you Betts. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you, so I guess my question is this - do you want to do the same?”

 

He didn’t even realise his voice was shaking until the last words escaped the comfort of his lips and left him more vulnerable than ever. He stared at the ring between his fingers, too afraid to look up and meet Betty’s eyes. But he had to do it - he couldn’t just hide anymore. He had to face the consequences of what he said.

 

Jughead slowly lifted his head, dragging his eyes along Betty’s dress up to her face. Even from down there he could clearly see that Betty’s eyes weren’t shining with happiness anymore - instead, they seemed glossy and watery. Her lower lip quivered slightly, but she wasn’t frowning. No, she wasn’t frowning; she was smiling.

 

Before he could realise what was happening, she sunk down to her knees in front of him, placing her palms on each of his cheeks.

 

“You’ll ruin your dress Betts,” Jughead whispered. But there was something about the way she held his gaze that told him she that she couldn’t have cared less.

 

“Stop talking Jug,” she whispered back and pulled his face towards hers.

 

Her lips felt exactly as he expected and at the same time completely different. They felt soft yet firm, giving yet taking. He could taste the wine on her lips and he wanted to get drunk on it. Drunk on her.

 

But they were on the floor of a not so clean bar, which eventually won over and Jughead gently pulled away from her lips and instead rested his forehead against her, not ready to stop touching her.

 

“Yes,” Betty whispered.

 

Jughead opened his eyes to take a look at her, not even remembering the moment he closed them, seeing that hers reminded lightly shut.

 

“What?” he asked, not understanding not only what she was saying, but also what has just happened.

 

“Yes, I want the same,” she said, slowly opening her eyes. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

 

“Are you serious?” he asked breathlessly. His heart was beating faster than ever before and breaths became shallower and quicker.

 

“I love you with all of my heart Jughead Jones, so put that ring on my finger and take me home,” she murmured against his lips.

 

And he happily obliged.

**Author's Note:**

> special thanks go to Rachael (@literatiruinedme) who looked over this for me <3
> 
> i hope y'all enjoyed this as much as i enjoyed writing it! <3 can't wait to read your feelings and thoughts in the comments!
> 
> love you all,
> 
> lav xx


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